Dog Gone Interesting

Hound

His beautiful brown eyes speak to me, watch me. His beautiful, always hopeful eyes are seductive, kind, intelligent and show all emotion, unchecked and unedited. They twinkle and smile, are sad and pleading and those eyes are always hopeful. Hopeful there will be an invitation to go on an adventure, a walk in the park with time to smell the roses and let the sun shine on our faces. An invitation to snuggle up and watch a movie together, get a cookie in the middle of afternoon, just because. His eyes have such expression I don’t want to leave him for the day at home knowing I will not be able to look into those eyes again until later that day. I think he knows how I feel, that I miss him during the day. I mean he seems to know, but because the handsome owner of these beautiful brown eyes cannot speak, I am left to wonder. Because those beautiful brown eyes, belong to my ever present buddy and friend, my yellow Labrador retriever, Wesley. I fondly refer to him as “Hound”. Sometimes hound is what makes me laugh, sometimes he is my rock and a shoulder to cry on and sometimes he is my nurse. Hound is, after all, my forever faithful friend.

We do a lot of things together, Hound and I. We write stories, read good books, take long afternoon naps, go for nice walks in the park, splash in the water fountain on a hot day, go to the coffee shop, and Hound’s ultimate favorite, doggy day care. Hound and I have our routine. For example, on Tuesdays he knows he gets to go to doggy day care. I do not know how he knows when it is Tuesday, but he does and he sticks to me like a skirt highly charged with static electricity. He waits patiently outside the bathroom while I take a shower, although he would prefer to come in and help, there just isn’t room for him and the cat. He watches my every move while I’m getting dressed, I guess to make sure I don’t have any secret trap doors I might just disappear through and leave him behind. When my husband calls him to go out one last time to do his “duties” he looks at me and says with those captivating brown eyes, “is this okay, you won’t leave me will you?” I have to reassure him that it is okay to go out with his “Dad” that I won’t leave him I will be here when he gets back. My husband says he is always in a bit more of hurry to get his duties done on Tuesdays because he knows he gets to go.

I never have to ask twice for him to come with me. The unpardonable sin of the week, however, is if a Tuesday arrives and for some reason he cannot go that day. His sad brown eyes tell me he is crushed and he looks like he is close to tears. Those eyes tell me he doesn’t understand why his “Mommy” can’t take him today. Hound is always so excited when he gets to daycare, he marches right in like he owns the place and I suppose in some small way he does. The staff there always seems to have a soft spot for Wesley. When I come at the end of the day he still has one pounce left and he uses it to greet me. When we are back in the car he knows he gets two milk bones and is immediately on the lookout for them. He barely hides his impatience when the cookies have found their way to bottom of my impossibly chaotic bag and I have to dig for them. When I have finally fished a cookie out of and hold it out for him, he very gently takes it from my hand as if it a piece of fine china. One day I forgot the cookies, the look on his facewas of utter disbelief, but he was patient and settled for a good ear scratch instead.

Hound and Muffin, who is our cat, are like two siblings. Muffin is always waiting for us at the door and is so happy to see her big clumsy friend. Hound on the other hand is way more interested in getting dinner. Hound gets exasperated with his “sister” because while he is trying to eat his dinner she is rubbing her head up against his legs, sniffing his feet and licking his silky ears. This is her way of saying “Oh I’m so glad you are home, it was really lonely here without you today”. The look on Hound’s face says I am only tolerating all of this because I must, but really I just want to eat my dinner without all the kisses and rubs and tummy tickles with the tail. Hound really does love his cat and watches out for her, he is just a typical brother and doesn’t want anyone to know how he really feels. I feel that seeing life through the beautiful brown eyes of my dog is seeing love, kindness, happiness and peace. Through those eyes there are no hidden agendas or emotions and life is always lived in the present moment, not for yesterday or tomorrow.

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